The USAF Dental Corps (DC) consists of Airmen who support dental readiness for Airmen and Guardians across the Air Force and Space Force. Dental officers perform all of the duties of a civilian dentist in addition to the duties of an officer in the US Air Force: leadership abilities are needed. Dental officers have several opportunities for continuing education and specialist training, to include every dental specialty school.
The Armed Forces Health Profession Scholarship Program (HPSP) is a scholarship opportunity and pathway to becoming a dentist through AFROTC. HPSP scholarships are available to qualified applicants who apply while applying to dental school. 2-year, 3-year, and 4-year scholarships are available. With each of these scholarships, all tuitions and required fees are paid, as well as a portion of other required costs to the student, totaling >95% of the cost of attendance. Finally, the HPSP scholarship includes a monthly stipend to offset the cost of living. The stipend rate is set by law, and the current rate, as of 2025, is ~$2900.
HPSP scholarships are available to civilians seeking to enter the USAF DC as well as active-duty Airmen, AFROTC graduates, and USAFA graduates. Civilian applicants must apply and compete through the Air Force Recruiting Service against a large pool of applicants, with scholarship award rates at ~30%. Applicants from active-duty, AFROTC, and USAFA compete against each other through the Air Force Personnel Center in a separate scholarship pool; these applicants get awarded HPSP scholarships at a historical rate of ~99%, assuming they are first accepted into a dental school.
Opportunities in the USAF DC also include specialty training. The Air Force has opportunities to train in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Pediatric Dentistry, Advanced General Dentistry, Endodontics, Prosthodontics, Periodontics, and Orthodontics. During advanced training, DC officers remain on active duty, which conveys all applicable pay and benefits of an officer. In addition to dental training, officers receive additional training in leadership ability, strategy, and policy through Air Force professional military education.
In exchange for a 2-year or 3-year HPSP scholarship, applicants must serve a minimum of 3 years on active-duty. An active-duty service commitment of 4 years is required for the 4-year HPSP scholarship. During this time on active-duty, officers are entitled to current base pay, basic allowance for housing, basic allowance for subsistence, and DC special pay. These pay rates are set by Congress and change annually. Additionally, all Airmen and dependent family members receive full medical and dental care at no cost.
Reach out to us if you'd like more information on joining AFROTC at UNL: Prospective Cadet Questionnaire | Air Force ROTC | Nebraska
